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2009 Subaru Forester mileage reports
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I am a bit concerned about the "bounce" when the snow starts to fly. But, from the previous discussions about it, I took away that people thought it was the suspension, not the tires that were the cause of that feeling/vehicle movement. It has only been a few times, typically highway driving that I have experienced it. And so far, typically where there is a groove in the road...
I recently filled the tank at a gas station by my house (I only use 87 octane) and my mpg has jumped from 16.8-17.1 to over 20. I now have about 120 miles on the new tank and am showing an average of 21mpg.
When I mentioned this to a friend at work, he stated that he filled his Infiniti 35X at the same HESS station and his check engine light came on and stayed on until he re-filled the tank at another station.
Those of you who are getting an average of 17mpg in city driving, I strongly suggest trying a different gas station.
p.s. Motor Trend SUV of the year award goes to 2009 subaru forester!!!
I am going to fill up at Exxon later. I'll report if any improvement.
This is on an 09' XT Forester
I topped the tank off before I left and after 270 miles I am down to 1/4 tank.
Now that my trip is reading 23.1mpg I am curious how long it will take to get it low after some street driving
Thanks.
------auto_manual
60=2323_2418
65=2517_2619
70=2710_2820
75=2904_3022
In real-world driving CR did much better in the manual, though, 25mpg vs. 22mpg for the slushbox.
I have not reset the computer since getting vehicle and mpg showed 26.4
Based on miles drive, divided by actual fuel usage, actual mog came out to 26.2.
This, this is the most accurate computer I have had in a car (with respect to showing accurage mpg info)
On my last four fill ups, here is what the computer showed vs actual:
computer 28.5 actual 28.9 (a record)
computer 28.2 actual 28.0
computer 26.7 actual 26.7
computer 26.7 actual 25.9
computer 28.8 actual 28.5
As my driving habits don't change (obviously quite a bit of highway driving) the mpg has been creeping up as I put on more mileage.
That being said, I am not "thrilled" with the ride on the vehicle. Too many squeeks and rattles, can't really pinpoint them, just a noisy car. Although I have premium radio you can't balance the front and rear very well, if you do the rear not very "potent" I am concerned I will not get huge mileage out of the tires -- already they show some wear. My left leg keeps hitting the side panel on the door, uncomfortable on long trips. Also, very cheap carpeting on floor (if you want to even call it carpeting) Nothing like carpeting you find in most other cars Lastly, the bluetooth although it works ok people on the other end cannot understand me that well.
On the positive side, love the large sunroof & much more "glass" area than with previous cars -- makes it nice and bright on inside (except that it is more difficult to read the nav, too much glare) I like to travel a lot with roof open so spend $90 or so (used Subaru Bucks) on air deflector. It is slightly "ugly" and much larger than one on previous vehicles but, it really cuts down on wind noise at highway speeds (so I can still talk on phone)
Interesting that your actual mileage was higher than the trip computer on that one occasion.
Since my last report at around 10,000 miles, have put on another 2500 miles or so. The trip computer, since I reset it at that mark now reads 25.8 mpg, but on the several fill ups as high as 27.9 or so, as low as 24 or so.
I do notice as If I do a lot of driving at 70 mph, the mpg certainly drops a bit. Ideal on the highway seems to be 55 - 60 but difficult to drive at that slow speed.
One more comment, and you will get a kick out of this. Much better mpg going downhill. Seriously, I make a lot of trips up into Maine, Montreal, NY State. If I go "uphill" (per the map my mpg is not as good as coming home "downhill on the map" Maybe you could offer an explanation. One, is that when I come from from a trip that tends to be later in the day, or early evening. When I leave on a trip tends to be early morning. The temperature doesn't differ all that much, and traffic not an issue. So, why the difference????
The engine is least efficient when it first warms up.
That shouldn't made a big difference on a full tank, though, just short-term.
Toyota does that well - my Sienna gets excellent mileage going down hills, as if the gas were shut off completely. Amazing - the trip computer pegs at 99mpg very easily even with a slight downhill.
Now, there is on factor real world I am aware of you, you would not be unless you live in this area.
There is a stretch in the Mass Pike, just west of Westfield, MA that is six miles long going towards Albany, I believe the elevation goes from around 400' to around 1600' so I realize over that stretch the average mpg will certainly drop a bit. As you get further west the elevation eventually climbs to 2100 at the peak 10 miles later. In fact, there is a sign on the Mass Pike highest elevation on Route 90 west of So Dakota.
At any rate, even factoring that in (of couse, on way home I get the mpg advantage) for other trips coming home I still get better mileage.
Probably getting an average of 21 MPG, (combined city/highway). Highway average more around 25 MPG, and City average more around 19-20 MPG.
Probably could do a lot better if we stayed out out turbo... naaah, too much fun!!
Rob
Quite often if I leave my home early am with a full tank, by the time I get to the beginning of the hill, my computer read out may say, for example, "25.8 mpg" At the top of that hill, 6miles later it probably will drop to 25.2, or maybe even 24.9. If I hit that same point with, say, 350 miles, it might only drop .3 mpg (everyone has probably notice the changes take place in increments of .3 mog.
Conversely, when I return home going down that long stretch will increase the mpg on the computer by the same amount.
May times I fill up in Lee, MA (just over the NY border to save on the cost, as gas in NY usually at least 10 cents gallon more than right over the border in MA) then go only 20 miles or so than down that steep hill, mpg may increase from 28 to as high as 30. Of course that is meaningless as 20 miles at average highway speeds and 6 miles down the long stretch with little strain on the motor.
But, still, and I have made this calculation over several years with different vehicles, going "south" seems to give better mpg than going "north"
An interesting note: I have Thule racks with kayak pads on them and the added wind resistance dropped overall mileage by about 1.5 mpg (#'s above are with the racks).
I am a first-time Subie owner and so far really like the vehicle; I also tow a small boat and a teardrop camper with it (not at same time
On my 1998 Forester I tracked every tank for mileage, and my average was 25.1 mpg but I got just 17.9 mpg while towing about 1500 lbs.
The penalty is pretty big. It's a light vehicle so a tow rig affects the overall % of weight a lot.
I have gotten as high as 28 actual on a long trip, lowest I have ever gotten was around 21, but that was for a lot of "puttering around" short stuff here and there.
I still am skeptical of others out there who claim to be getting 30+ mpg. I have been able to achieve that on the trip computer on a long trip, but just a few miles of non-highway stuff brings it right down to 28 or so.
Problem is, it takes a lot of patience to get wherever you're going!
As a pointer to those who say that these MPG can not be achieved, I find what helps most is upshifting at 2k RPM when there are no other cars behind me other than that I usually push the car just a bit further. You loose some acceleration, but the gain is made on the efficiency.
If you're carrying a big payload or going uphill, I'd give it a bit more revs.
You did say the roads were flat, though...
As for the antifreeze, check around the water pump to see if there is any staining. It doesn't take much coolant to smell it, and small amounts will more often evaporate (and leave a residue) than drip, especially when in contact with hot engine components.
I'll check the waterpump, if I can find it. These little things are really packed in there. It makes sense to replace it when I take it in for the timing belts. Car's at 115K and I still haven't done that service... oops !
I considered putting ComforTred on my Caravan, but they were quite a bit more per tire than the Allegra I ended up putting on there, were not available locally, and I was in a time crunch. I had prior experience with the Allegra and know it to be a smooth-riding, long lasting tire that is also very capable in inclement weather; all of those are important factors for me. For $73 a tire (locally in Fairbanks, AK), they really are a bargain!
That sounds really bad. I live in WV and while not city driving, I drive mostly up and down hills with virtually no interstate driving. Over the last year my readout shows 21.9, which is about what I expected.
Unless you are sitting in traffic for hours, I would think you should do better.
Much has to do with how much driving you do with a cold engine versus a fully warmed engine -- short trips really hurt mpg.
Hopefully others will respond, but I would have it checked.
Bill
They say the car gets better mileage after being broken in, but 13 is ridiculous unless you're driving hills constantly or just sitting in traffic. SF is a hilly city -- if you just drove from Diamond Heights down to the Castro or Balboa Park I could imagine your mpg being really bad.